


Paper Chains

by Amuly



Category: Marvel 616, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Avengers, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-05-05 22:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5393081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amuly/pseuds/Amuly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve finds out his old partner, Jack Monroe, is settled down in Florida with his adopted daughter Bucky. And one other unexpected blast from Steve's past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paper Chains

**Author's Note:**

> Late birthday present for [vassalady](http://archiveofourown.org/users/vassalady)!!!! Sorry!! But your other bday present from me was early, so this had to be late to average things out :P

"Nice place you have here."

Jack didn't miss the way Steve's eyes slid over the grimey counters or traced the outline of the horned rooster on the sign.

"It's temporary. I've got an application down at the local social work office. Trying to get cleared to work with kids. Dunno if they'll let me, with... everything."

Steve's eyes flickered down, a moment of pain crossing his face. "I heard about that. Jack..."

Jack shook his head. "I'm alright. You live with it." Jack smiled, trying to force at levity. "Besides, I'm sure that's not all you heard. That why you made the trip down? To check on us?"

Steve hesitated. "Not sure what you mean by 'us'..."

Jack lifted the bar top and stepped through as he shook his head. He clasped Steve on the shoulder and grinned at him. "Stop it. You never were much of a spy. Just shut up and get in the car."

Steve spluttered, hands waving vaguely as he trailed after Jack. "I wasn't- I was asking! I wasn't trying to be subtle!"

"Good, because you weren't succeeding."

"I wasn't _trying_ -"

Jack's car choked itself to a stop in the driveway of his suburban home. He glanced over a Steve, unable to help himself from wondering what he thought of it. Steve's expression was pleasantly bland, peering out the window magnanimously at the mostly-green lawn and budding palm trees that lined the front of the house.

Shoving his shoulder against his door, Jack managed to get the old beast to open up. He sighed as he watched Steve forced to pull a similar trick on the passenger door. Jack slammed his door shut (only way it would close) and smiled tightly at Steve. "We're working on the cars. Dennis' finances are tied up still, and I'm on a bartender's salary. A well-tipped bartender, but still."

Steve held his hands up. "Jack. I didn't say anything."

Jack shrugged. That was the problem with Steve: he never did, say anything. But you knew. Everyone always knew. Jack nodded at the house. "Come on. And 'abandon all hope'--it might not be my hell, but, well-"

"Jack, really. Please. I grew up in the '30s. This is already miles ahead-"

Whatever assurances Steve had to offer were drowned out in the din that hit them as Jack opened the front door. He winced and raced inside, abandoning a faintly shell-shocked Steve standing in the doorway.

Bucky was screaming her head off in the living room, squirming around in Dennis' arms as her favorite show blared on the TV. Dennis was humming under his breath, hands rapidly taping paper chains together. Ruined red and green paper chains hung from the ceiling, torn apart by tiny, grabby hands.

"Come on, Bucky. 'I love you, you love me, we're a happy fam-i-ly..." Dennis' pacing brought him to turn just as Jack rushed into the room. He smiled big in relief as Jack hurried over to them. "Sorry, she's been like this for an hour. It's-"

"She's cranky," Jack finished for him. Delicately Jack scooped her up off Dennis' shoulder, shushing his bratty toddler. "Sweetheart, look: Daddy's home. Come on, now."

Bucky continued to wail for a moment, but quickly her screaming subsided. She looked up at Jack for a second, then snuffled her face in his neck, wiping tears and snot into his skin. Jack shushed as he bounced her gently around, rubbing her back in soothing circles.

"She won't go down for her nap," Dennis told Jack. His fingers were moving faster over the paper chains now that he didn't have a wailing toddler balanced on one shoulder.

"No kidding," Jack mumbled wryly. Bucky was already growing heavy against his neck. "I'll try again in a minute," he whispered at Dennis.

A delicate cough behind them. Jack watched Dennis as his expression unfolded, stressed but generally content papa shuffling rapidly through surprised, confused, happy, and, maybe a little bit, embarrassed. It finally settled on pleasantly congenial as Dennis extended a hand to Steve. "Cap! This is a surprise!"

Steve smiled easily as he stepped forward to shake Dennis' hand. Jack watched them--watched Steve, mostly. He was as good a guy as any; he always _said_ he didn't care about... Steve greeted Dennis just as warmly ever.

Bucky was drooling against his shoulder. Carefully Jack lifted her as he headed for her bedroom. "Okay, sweetheart. We're just going to-"

Dennis' hands flew out. "No no, not too high-!"

Jack didn't realize what he meant until it was too late. One of Bucky's little hands shot up, grabbing for a piece of paper chains hanging from the ceiling. It tore down easily. Bucky glared up at Jack, hand tight around the chain. " _Mine._ "

Jack sighed and extracted the chain from her fingers gently but firmly. "No, it's not. It's decorations Papa worked hard on. It's _not_ yours."

Bucky's face screwed up, another crying fit imminent. Jack hurried her from the room, waving vaguely over his shoulder at Steve to make himself comfortable.

Once Bucky's bedroom door shut quietly behind them, Jack set to work hushing her back down again. It was easy, given how tired she was. Within a minute she was sleeping soundly against his shoulder again. One-handed, Jack collected up her favorite Captain America blanket and Iron Man plush toy (neither his nor Dennis' decision, that one). He folded them into Bucky's hands as he lowered her into her trundle bed. Her hands grasped for them, whining quieted as her fingers wrapped around the familiar comfort objects. Her face relaxed, out before her head even hit the pillow. Jack sighed and crouched alongside the bed for a moment, just looking at her. His perfect little angel, when she was sound asleep like this. Jack reached up and brushed her jet-black hair from her forehead. It was sweaty from her own crying fit. Well: she was pretty much his angel in all circumstances, good and bad. Jack's thumb trailed down her tear-stained cheek.

Jack let himself have a minute, two, to himself just staring at his daughter. Her little chest rose and fell in decreasing quickness, breathing slowing as she slept. She was so much _bigger_ now, already, not even two years later. When he had first seen her, first scooped her up in one arm, she hadn't been much bigger than a loaf of bread. Now... Reaching out, Jack carefully wiped the tears from her cheeks and brushed down her hair. Tucked her blankets carefully up to her chin. Now.

Jack tip-toed his way out of Bucky's room, leaving the door open just a crack behind him. He stopped short as he re-entered the living room. The ceiling was full of dangling red and green paper chains, restored to their intended glory before Bucky got a hold of them. Dennis stood by their Christmas tree, chatting happily with Steve as his fingers worked on folding silver and gold paper into chains for that. Jack took it all in, then took in Dennis' smile as he turned to see Jack. Damn it. Jack couldn't stop himself from smiling back.

"All better?" Dennis asked, hands finally stopping as he set down the paper chain and crossed the room.

Jack looked up at the decorations significantly. "Apparently. You're a miracle worker."

Dennis shrugged, pale ginger skin of his blushing unattractively. Jack smiled wider. "It's paper and tape, Jack. Keeping tiny fingers away from them through the first week of advent: that'll be the real miracle."

Abruptly Jack realized that he and Dennis were kinda close for comfort. His hands dropped form where they had automatically come up to settle at Dennis' hips, his gaze shifted from Dennis to Steve. He took a step back and cleared his throat. "Steve: want something to drink? Eat? How long are you in for?" Jack didn't miss the pointed eye roll Dennis sent his way.

Steve seemed equally bemused, but more willing to indulge Jack than Dennis. "Sure. Water? And, well, whatever snacks you have. I can always eat."

They settled at the kitchen table, safely away from any chance of waking Bucky with their quiet conversation. Jack gestured for Steve to take the head, with Jack and Dennis at either side. Jack scratched at his five o'clock shadow and avoided looking across the table at Dennis. As "out" as he was, as settled into his routine with Dennis and Bucky and their little unconventional family, he had never planned on having this conversation with Captain Ameica.

"So..." Steve smiled blandly between them as he set down his glass. "This is. Nice."

Dennis laughed and leaned back easily in his chair. Jack glanced at him once before looking away again. "Come on, out with it Steve. You know you want to ask."

Steve looked between them before his smile descended into sheepish embarrassment. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry. But last time I saw you two in the same room as each other, you couldn't stand the sight! Was... _this_... going on back then? Does Sam know? Gosh, it'd be just like me to be the last man to notice, wouldn't it?"

Jack stifled a laugh and ran his hand through his hair. Steve didn't care. Of course Steve wouldn't care, of _course_. Steve's friend Arnie, everything Steve had ever tried to teach Jack, back when he didn't even know himself...

Dennis rushed to reply. "Hey, I never had a problem with Jack! I thought he was a nice, fit young man."

"'Young man'" Jack mocked. "I'm older than you."

"Depending how you count it," Dennis shot back.

" _Any_ way you count it," Jack countered. "And for the record, I _couldn't_ stand the sight of this dork. But that, well..." Jack shrugged, suddenly realizing he didn't feel like getting into that here, with both Steve and Dennis looking knowingly at him. "Well. I might not have been the youngest, but I was still young. Things change."

Dennis knew, of course, and just smiled softly at Jack. "Sam doesn't know," he told Steve quickly, saving Jack from any further interrogation. "Well. Not unless someone told him, like I suppose they told you. We're not exactly hiding. Bought the house in our names, no masks."

"It was Tony," Steve explained. "I had said something, on some mission or other, about how I hadn't heard a peep from Jack and I was worried. I knew you had gotten out of that DC thing okay, im the end. I heard you kept Bucky, which..." Steve shook his head and continued, apparently opting not to get into it. "Anyway, one day I walk into the Mansion and Jarvis has a document prepared for me, your names on the deed to a house, Bucky enrolled in preschool, employment records..." Steve winced. "Sorry about that. Tony doesn't really understand privacy. And I think he's still trying to make things right between us after the whole armor fiasco and the supreme intelligence..." Steve shook his head again.

Jack glanced over at Dennis, quirked an eyebrow. He was wondering if they should tell Steve. What two men of their sort had easily figured out about Tony Stark and his extravagant blind spot when it came to Steve. Dennis shrugged, and Jack shook his head. Some other time.

Dennis wrapped his knuckles lightly on the table. "Like Jack said: we're not hiding. And we're pleased as punch to see you, Steve. You're always welcome here."

"It was going on back then. A couple times," Jack blurted out. Surprise flashed across Dennis' face, but then his fist covered his mouth as he laughed. Steve blinked and looked between them.

"What... _This_?! You two were... Back then?" Steve grumbled and slouched down in his seat. "Shoot, Sam probably _does_ know. I'm always the last guy to figure these things out."

"if you're last, then I'm a close second, don't worry about it," Jack told him. "You know how it is, when we were from... And you know me and good old McCarthy, it was a hell of a lot worse than the thirties." Jack shrugged, such an easy gesture to encompass years and years of confusion, doubt, and self-loathing. "We, uh. Had our dalliances. On the road. But it wasn't anything like this." Jack flushed and stared down at the tabletop, knowing that if he looked up Dennis would be gazing at him with all sorts of adoration and love and other emotions that matched the churning happiness in Jack's stomach.

"Oh, well. That's great. I mean, now. This. It all seems. Swell."

Trust Steve's awkwardness to break up what could have been a horrifically sappy moment. Jack grinned as Steve tried for an approving smile. Jack was only surprised he wasn't actually giving them a thumbs-up.

Slapping a hand over Steve's, Jack shook it lightly. "Come on: we'll put you up in the guest room. It's, uh, kind of full of Bucky's Christmas presents and storage junk, but. We'll tidy it up in short order."

Steve grinned, big and at-ease. "That'd be fine, Jack. Dennis. And I'd love to stay long enough to see the little Miss once she's had herself a rest."

Jack groaned as he pushed himself up from the kitchen table. "Don't expect her to be much better. 'Terrible twos' are right."

"We're teaching her manners, boundaries," Dennis explained as he stood to follow Jack. He hesitated. "It's not taking, so much yet."

Steve laughed and clasped Jack on his shoulder. "I'm sure it will, eventually. I have every faith in you. Both of you. If my host of villains couldn't take you down, I don't think this toddler will."

"You'd be surprised," Jack muttered, but he was smiling too big to mean it.

* * *

 

That night, Jack's fingers drummed on his chest as he stared at the ceiling. Dennis sat at his side, reading his nightstand book. Except he wasn't really reading it, because Jack hadn't heard him flip a page in over five minutes. Jack's fingers drummed, drummed, drummed.

Finally Dennis set down his book and turned to Jack. "I can take your mind off it."

Jack shook his head, eyes fixed on the popcorn ceiling. He hated that finish, but the house had come with it. He should take a weekend and scrape it all off. "Not with Steve here."

"Our insulation is good. Bucky never hears a thing." Dennis' hand half-hearted tickled at Jack's side, but it was more teasing than sexy. "We can keep our mouths occupied. Both of us. At the same time..."

Jack snorted and nudged Dennis' hand away, finally tearing his gaze from the ceiling to meet his eyes. He smiled and conceded to drawing Dennis in for a kiss. 

"It's weird. Sorry."

Dennis shrugged and laid down alongside him, tapping his bedside lamp off as he did. "I'm really not in the mood either. Thought maybe you were. Or needed to be."

Jack shook his head, knowing Dennis could feel it. "No. It's..." Jack's gut flipped at the thought, but he shook his head again, determinedly. "No. I can't."

Dennis shifted, pressing up against Jack, but not in a sexual way. Jack closed his eyes and shifted back, allowing himself to relax against Dennis. After a few minutes, after Jack thought the subject was closed, Dennis mumbled: "Threesome?"

Jack laughed and rolled over to smother Dennis with a pillow. Dennis didn't put up much of a fight. 


End file.
